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(No Model.)

- E. G. LATTA.

VELOCIPEDB.

No. 337,271. Patented Mar. 2, 1886.

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T2/y gf Wimax@ I N. PETERS. Phowmh Unirse STATES PATENT Citrine.

EMMIT G. LATTA, OF FRIENDSHII, 'NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR ONE-HALF TO ADRIAN C. LATTA, OF SAME PLACE.

VELOCIPEDE.

` SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.337,271, dated March 2. i886.'

Application filed ovember 23, 1885. Serial No. 183,639. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, EMMIT G. LATTA, of Friendship, in the county of Allegany and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Velocipedes, of which the following is a speciiication.

The object of this invention is to improve the construction of the steeringhead and connecting parts, to render these parts more efeient, to reduce their weight, and to prevent the same from working loose when in use, while permitting them to be easily detached when required.

My invention consists, to these ends, of the improvements which will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the steering-head and connecting parts. fragmentary sectional front elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a detached elevation of the upper screw-center. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section in line .fr Fig. l. Figs. 5, 6, and 7 are sections, on an enlarged scale, in lines x fr, y y, and zz, Fig. 2, respectively. Fig. 8 'is a fragmentary top plan view, onan enlarged scale,of the brake-lever and the handle-bar to which it is pivoted. Fig. 9 is ahorizontal sect1on,on an enlarged scale,of the steering-head and handle-bar lug, showing the handle-bars secured therein. Fig. l0 is a plan View-of the inner ends of the handle-bars separated. Fig.

. l1 is an elevation of the key whereby the handle-bar lug, B the spindle, B the neck, and B2 the backbone.

Orepresents the upper center screw, which is counterbored to permit the spindle to enter well into the upper part ofthe head.

In order to overcome the tendency of the.

screw C to work loose, it is provided with a slow screw-thread, c, by which it is secured in the bore ofthe steering-head, and a quick thread, c', to which is applied a check-nut, c,

which bears against the upper end of the steering-head. The two threads c c are preferably' i Fig. 2 is aA eut in opposite directions, one being a righthand and the other a left-hand thread, so that if the thread c should tend to unscrew from the head before the check-nut is started the quicker thread c will cause the check-nut to crowd down upon the top of the steering-head and prevent the threaded part from further unscrewing. In this construction it is not necessary to tighten down the check-nut clz as hard as is generally necessary in order to insure the locking of the threaded part c in the head. The threaded part c may be made quicker f than'the part c,either by employing a coarser The front portion of the closer up to the head and the lug is prevented from turning in the backbone, while at the same time the weight of the parts is reduced.

D is the dustguard, which is secured to the rear side of the neck, and which covers the opening in the rear side of the steering-head. l

d is an offset or shoulder formed on the u'pper side of the neck B near its junction with the spindle B, and bearing against the dustguard, which latter is secured to the offset d by a screw, d. the dust-guard to the neck, and is lesslexpensive than a spring-fastening and permits the dust -guard to be easily removed when4 required.

E E represent the handle-bars, `curved in any approved form and secured with theirin, ner ends in the handle-bar lug A. The handle-.bars E are preferably made of tubing and strengthened at their inner ends by a short This screw securely fastens piece of tubing, F, which is inserted into the handle-bars and projects slightly beyond the ends of the handlebar lug, thereby strengthening the tubular bars at their joint and to a certain distance beyond the handle-bar lug.

The inner ends of the handle-bars are conf.

structed with overlapping ends e e, which ter- `in which a k'ey, g, is'inserted, whereby the handle-bars are secured to the lug. The key g wedges against the shoulders of the hooks and draws the overlapping ends of the han dle-bars closely against each other, and prevents the handle-bars from turning in the lug.

The key also tends to spread the inner ends4 ofthe handlebars and crowds the same against the sides of the lug, thereby causing the hand1e-bars to fit tightly in the lug. The key is made wedge-shaped Vonly in the direction of L its greatest width, and fits loosely in the lug AA and the tubular stiifening-piece F.

The key is preferably held in place by va nut, h. By removing the key either one or both of thehandle-bars can be quickly detached from the handle-bar lug. As the two ends of the handlebars are exactly alike, the twobars- `can be interchanged, if desired. It is obvious that solid handle bars can be secured to the lug in the same manner, in which case the tubular stiffening-piece F is of course omitted, and that the stiffeningpiece is not neces sary when the' tubular bars are made of heavy tubing; but I prefer to construct thehandlebars of light tubing, and use this stiffeningpiece in order to'reduce the weight of the Y parts to a minimum, while maintaining the required strength. It is also obvious that each handlebar may be secured in place by a Separate key, if desired.

H represents the brake-lever, preferably made oftubing and tapering each way from 1 the point at which it is pivoted to one of the .40.

handle'bars E. The inner end of the brakelever rests against the brake I, and is secured In order to connect the brake-lever to the brake, the screw is inserted through the brake,

in which it is held from turning,and the brake- 5o lever is screwed uponthe screw before these parts are attached to the steering-head. When the parts areapplied to the steering-head they are securely attached together and prevented from becoming disconnected. The outer end of the brake-lever H is swaged into the formy l Aof a broad oval or spoon-shaped handle, J, l, as represented in Figs. 2,12, and 13, whereby a large smooth 4handle is produced with the `least weight.

` K, represents a bracket, which is secured to the. front side of one ofthe handle-bars E, and l `zto which the brake-lever H is pivoted by a verticalbolt, lc, and a clip, L, which latter is `:.liralsclever with two jaws, -whiclibear 'againstq the upper and lower sides of the bracket K,

r brazed or otherwise secured to the brake-lever. `-The `clip L is provided on the rear Asideof the and the pivotbolt la passes through these jaws and the bracket, as clearly represented in Fig. 6. The bracket K is secured to the hand1ebar E by two clamping-strips', MN,which embrace the handle-bar, and are secured to the bracketK 4at the front side of` the handlefbar y by screws m and n, respectively.

a By using two narrow clamps instead of one wide clamp the necessary strength is obtained, while a better fit is secured to the curved handle-bar.

. The clamp M is constructed of spring-steel, and its elastic front end, mf, bears againstthe rear side ofthe brake-lever and acts as a spring in operating the brake-lever, as` represented in Figs. 5 and 8. The adjacent endof `the bracket K is slotted, and the front portion ot' thespring-clamp M passes through the slot of the bracket, as represented in Fig. 5; The screw m passes through this slotted portion ot' the bracket K and through the spring-clamp, so that the screw can `be tightened without disturbing the elastic frontend of the springclamp. This front end is preferably constructed with a reversed curve in order to renderit suiciently elastic, and this front part iszalso `made somewhat `wider than thepart which Vembraces the' handle-bar in order to givelthe spring end the necessary strength. The clamp NV passes around the rear and lower sides'l of thelhandlebar and around the front `side of thebracket K, as represented in Fig. 7 The fastening-screw 'n `passes through the upper portion of the clamp N,andalso through that part of the lower portion of the clamp which rests upon the upper side ofthe bracket K,fas represented in Fig. 7. When the clamp-screw n is nearly driven home,its point presses upon the lower part of the clamp on the under side of the bracket K, and thustightens the clamp at both ends. -By fastening the clamp in this manner greater strength and adjustability are 4'obtained than heretofore.

' `When a brakespring of ordinary construction is employed, the bracket K may be se- `cured to the hand1ebar by two clamps, like the clamp N, or by a single Wide clamp cut out in the middle-to straddle the pivot and permit the clamp to closely fit the handle-bar.

f I claim as my invention-4- y 1. The combination, with the steeringhead` and spindle, of a center screw having right and left screw-threads, one engagingin` the steering-head and the other receiving a checknut, substantiallycas set forth.

2. The combination, with the steering-head and spindle, of a center screw having a slow and a quick screw-thread, one engaging in the steering-head and the other receiving a checknut, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, with the*steering-head` and spindle, of a center screw having right and left screw-threads of different pitch, the slow thread engaging in the steering-head and the quick thread receiving a check-nut, sub- Stautially as set forth. i

4. The combination,with the steering-head,

IIO

of a spindle and neck provided with alug, B, curved downwardly from the neck, and a backbone, B2, having its front portion curved upwardly to receive the curved lug B3, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination, with the steering-head and dust-guard, of a spindle and neck having an offset, forming a support for the dustguard, and a screw, d', whereby the dustguard is secured to the offset d, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination, with the handle-bar lug, of two handle-bars provided with overlapping inner ends, and an interposed key bearing against shoulders on said ends and drawing the ends toward each other, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination, with the handle-bar lug, of a handle-bar having its inner end constructed witha hook or shoulder, f, and a key, g, engaging against said hook orshoulder, and whereby the handle-bar is drawn inwardly, substantially as set forth.

8. The combination, with the handle-bar lug, of two handle-bars having overlapping inner ends, e, terminating in hooks or shoulders f, and a key, g, inserted between the shoulders of the handle-bars and tending to draw both bars inwardly, substantially as set forth. v

9. The combination, with the handle-bar lug, of the tubular handle-bars E and a tubular stiffening-piece, F, inserted into the inner portions of the handle-bars, substantially as set forth.

10. The combination, with the handle-bar lug, of the tubular handle-bars E, constructed with overlapping hooked ends, atubular stiffening-piece, F, inserted into the inner vportions of the handle-bars, and a key, g, passed through the handle-barlug,and the sti'eningpeceF between the inner ends of the handlebars, substantially as set forth.

11. A brake-lever for velocipedes, composed of a tube which is drawn down or tapered from its pivotal point toward its outer end, substantially as set forth.

12. A brake-lever for velocipedes,composed of a tube having its outer end flattened to form a handle, substantially as set forth.

13. Abrake-lever for velocipedes, composed of a single length of tubing extending from the braketo the handle, substantially as set forth.

14. The combination, with the brake-lever and brake, of a connecting-screw held against turningin one of these parts and screwing into the other part, substantially as set forth.

15. The combination, `with the brake-lever' and brake, of the connecting-screw z', held against turningin the brake and screwing into the brake-lever, substantially as set forth.

16. The combination, with the handle-bar and the bracket K, secured thereto, of the brake-lever H and the clip L, secured to the brake-lever and pivoted to the bracket, substantially as set forth.

17. The combination, with the brake-lever and handle-bar, of the bracket K, secured to the handle-bar by a clamp of sheet metal embracing' the handle -bar and secured to the bracket, substantially as set forth.

18. The combination, with the brake-lever provided with a clip, L, of ahandle-bar, E, a bracket, K, secured to the handle bar by clamps MNon opposite sides of the clip L, and a bolt whereby the clip is pivoted to the bracket, substantially as set forth.

19. The combination, with the brake-lever and handle-bar, of the bracket K, and the springclamp M, provided with an elastic front portion which bears against the brake-lever, substantially as set forth. i

20. The combination, with the handle-bar and brake-lever, of the bracket K and the clamp N, embracing both the handle-bar and the bracket, and secured to the bracket by a screw, n, substantially as set forth.

21. The combination, with the handle-bar and brake-lever, of the slotted bracket Kand the spring-clamp M, having its front portion passed through the slotted bracket and bearing against the brake-lever, substantially as set forth.

22. The combination, with the handleebar and brake-lever, of the bracket K, the clamp N, embracing both the handlebar and the bracket, and the screw n, passing through both ends of the clamp and the bracket, and bearing with its point against the lower portion ofthe clamp, substantially as set forth.

Witness my hand this 18th day of Novem ber, 1885.

EMMIT G. LATTA.

Vitnesses: f

JN0. J. BoNNnR, CARL F. GEYER. 

